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Table Tennis

Like many other sports, table tennis began as a mild social diversion. Descending, along with lawn tennis and badminton, from the ancient medieval game of tennis. It was popular in England in the second half of the nineteenth century under its present name and various trade names such as Gossima and Whiff-Whaff. After the name Ping-Pong (an imitation of the sound made by the ball striking the table and the vellum bats that were used) was introduced by J. Jaques & Son, the game became a fashionable craze. There are many contemporary references to it and illustrations of it being played, usually in domestic surroundings.

By the early years of this century, Ping-Pong had already acquired some of its present day complexities, though it was still seen by many as an after -dinner amusement rather than a sport. An account published in 1903 found it necessary to warn against wearing a dress suit and stiff shirt or, for ladies, a white satin gown but went on to give detailed technical advice about pimpled rubber, the penholder grip and tactics.

The game was popular in Central Europe in 1905-10, and even before this is a modified version had been introduced to Japan, where it later spread to China and Korea.

After a period when it had dropped out of favor in Europe, the game was revived in England and Wales in the early twenties. By that time 'Ping-Pong' had been registered as a trademark, so the earlier name of table tennis was re-introduced. National associations were formed and standardization of the rules began, both in Europe and the Far East.

Then, over the next sixty years, table tennis developed into a major worldwide sport, played by perhaps thirty million competitive players and by uncountable millions who play less seriously. However, the game itself has not changed in essence since its earliest days, though it is faster, more subtle and more demanding than it was even only twenty years ago. A constant concern of the ITTF has always been to insure that table tennis remains a contest of human skills and that technological developments, which add a new factor to the game, do not give too great an advantage to the players who have the first opportunity of making use of them. Thus, equipment specifications are carefully laid down, and rigorously enforced.

Modern table tennis at national and international level is a rigorous as any sport in its demands for the highest degree of physical fitness and mental concentration, attained only by arduous training to develop natural skill.

CANADA GAMES SPORT HISTORY AND PAST RESULTS

Table Tennis was featured in the first Winter Games, held in Québec City in 1967. Since then, table tennis has grown at the Games featuring opportunities for able-bodied athletes, athletes with a disability, and Special Olympics athletes.

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EQUIPMENT & TERMINOLOGY

Table tennis is played on a rectangular table 2.74 m long, 1.53 m wide and .76m high. A net 15.25cm high is stretched across the middle of the table, and a white line divides the table in two lengthwise. The object is to win points by making shots an opponent cannot return. A rally is over and a point scored if:

the ball strikes the racket or table twice successively

a player strikes the ball without allowing it to bounce

a service or return misses the table or goes into the net

a player moves the table, touches the net or touches the table with his/her free and in doubles, the players hit the ball out of sequence.

Backhand

A shot done with the racket to the left of the elbow for a right handed player, the reverse for a left handed player.

Backspin

Backward spin placed on the ball. Also called Under spin.

Block

A quick off the bounce return of an aggressive drive done by just holding the racket in the ball's path.

Chop

A chop is a heavy under spin shot. It is usually executed away from the table and below the tabletop. A chop forces the ball to drop downwards when it hits an opponent’s paddle.

Closed

Holding the racket such that he racket's hitting surface is aimed downward, with the top edge leaning away from you.

Counter- drive

A drive made against a drive. Some players specialize in counter-driving.

Cross- court

A ball that is hit diagonally from corner to corner.

Deep

A ball that lands deep on the table.

Down the line

A ball that is hit along the side of the table, parallel to the sidelines, is hit down the line.

Drive

The basic topspin shot executed close to the table. Also called a counter, counter drive, or smash.

Drop shot

Short placement - very close to the net. A key point in making a drop shot is to not allow the ball to fall off the table after the first bounce. i.e. Drop shots should bounce at least twice on the opponents side of the table before falling off.

Flick or flip

A topspin shot generated over the table close to the net, usually with the power generated only from the upper arm or the wrist. Used to start offense on a short ball.

Footwork

How a person moves to make a shot.

Forehand

Any shot done with the racket to the right of the elbow for a righthander, the reverse for a lefthander.

Inverted

The most common covering on a racket. It consists of a sheet of rubber on top of a sponge where pips of the rubber point inward, so the surface is smooth.

Kill

A put away shot. Ball is hit with enough speed so the opponent can’t make a return.

Let

Service ball hitting the net or a distraction that causes the point played over.

Lob

Usually used when in the player is in the backcourt in a defensive situation. The player hits the ball as high as he can - usually with a combination of topspin and sidespin. The deeper the ball lands on the table, the more difficult it will be for his opponent to smash.

Loop

The shot that currently dominates the sport. This is an extreme topspin shot. One of the Mazunov brothers (Russia) won a spin competition being 'clocked' at 9000 rpm. A loop, when executed properly can curve in the air as a curveball does in baseball. This curve allows the player to hit the ball harder and still rely on the spin of the ball to cause the ball to dive down onto the table. Also, a loop will 'skip' on the table top taking sharp changes in directions. A loop will also tend to 'pop' upwards when it strikes the opponents racket.

Official

Umpire or referee who keeps score and enforces rules during a match.

Open

Holding the racket such that the racket's hitting surface is aimed upward, with the top edge leaning towards you.

Pips

The small conical bits of rubber that cover a sheet of table tennis rubber.

Push

A push is an under spin shot executed over the table, and usually close to the net. This is a passive shot that is used when it is impossible to attack a ball.

Rating

A rating is the number assigned to players after their first tournament. The better the player the higher the rating should be.

Sidespin

Spin placed on a ball to allow it to curve left or right in the air. Usually utilized in combination with the topspin of a loop.

Smash

A put away shot. Ball is hit with enough speed so the opponent can’t make a return.

Topspin

Spin placed on a ball to allow it to curve down onto the table.

TECHNOLOGY OF SPORT

A table tennis racket is used by players in the game table tennis. A so called racket is a blade covered with rubber sheets on one or two sides depending on the grip of the player.

Blades, in recent years, have seen an advancement in technology. Materials of different properties may be combined with the wood in the blade to enhance its playing performance. Many blades today feature one or more carbon layers within them to enhance their ‘sweet spot', and to give the player a greater margin of error when playing powerful shots. Materials incorporated into table tennis blades today include titanium, acrtylate, aramids, fibreglass, and aluminum.

The 4 main types of rubber sheets used on the racket are:

Inverted

This is the most widely used rubber type. The surface is smooth, with the pimpled side facing inwards toward the blade. This enables the player to generate high levels of spin and speed. Spin is generated not by the action of the top sheet alone, but also by the ball sinking into the sponge and allowing greater surface area to contact the ball.

Short pimples (or "pips")

Short pimples-out rubbers are usually used by close-to-the-table hitters. They do not generate as much spin as inverted rubbers, but also make the user less susceptible to the opponent's spin. Speed generated from a short pip rubber is generally greater than that of an inverted with the same sponge. Depending on the thickness of the sponge it is also possible to play a chopping game with short pimples by varying the spin of the return. Whilst blocking and attacking a "dead ball" effect is often noticed.

Long pimples (or "pips")

Long pimples-out rubbers carry relatively long and soft pips. They do not have the ability to generate any real spin of their own, but feed off of the opponent's spin instead. This allows the user to confuse the opponent and upset his or her rhythm. Long pips rely on the opponent's oncoming spin, as they tend to "continue" the opponent's spin, by bending upon impact, rather than reversing or changing the spin like inverted rubbers (for example, a topspin executed by the opponent will return to him/her as a backspin after contact with the pimples). Long pips are usually used by close-to-the-table blockers, or choppers, but, in some cases, they can be used away from the table for long distance chops. They are usually only used on the backhand side, as they offer very limited attacking capabilities. Depending on the grip of the sides of the pimples and the thickness of the sponge it is also possible to play an aggressive game with long pips, although without much spin capability.

Anti-spin

Anti-spin rubbers may look similar to the inverted ones, but their surfaces are very slick and frictionless. Like long pimples, they cannot generate much spin. Anti-spin is also not very susceptible to the opponents oncoming spin, due to the low coefficient of friction of the rubber's surface, as well as the incredibly soft sponge, which cushions or absorbs the momentum of the ball upon impact. This is also used to confuse the opponent, but as a defensive surface, it is not widely used on a competitive level.

NOTABLE PAST ATHLETES/ALUMNI

2007 Canada Winter Games participant Andre HO from British Columbia was qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games.